The Girls Next Door

by Mel Sherratt

  And now she had to prepare herself mentally to go to court in the morning for the start of Deanna Barker’s murder trial. There was never a dull day in this job.

  She reached over for her bag and winced. Her bandaged hand was sore, but it wouldn’t need any more medical attention since the paramedic had seen her. A good dose of painkillers and a couple of whiskey shots tonight would do the trick.

  There was something she had to do before she went inside the house. She reached for her phone, located Danny’s number and typed out a message.

  Where are you? Are you okay?

  Her finger hovered over the send button. Did she really want to put herself through this again? Every few months she would send the same message. Every few months she would be disappointed that there was no reply. She couldn’t understand why she still gave him so much time, so much head and heart space. Two years ago, she had been working on a case involving a local gang who were running a loan shark racket. Two men had been murdered and she’d been tasked with gathering and analysing intelligence from the Financial Unit. She’d thought she’d been safe bringing paperwork home. She’d done it for years. But Danny had taken a look at it, used some of the information and tried to blackmail one of the players. After it all went wrong, he had fled.

  He hadn’t told her any of that. She’d had to work it out for herself. Yet despite that, she still cared for him, still needed to know if he was safe. She could never trust him again, and there was nothing left between them but the happy memories they had shared. But if she had learned something over the past three days, it was that family was so important.

  She pressed send.

  She let herself into the house, shrugged off her coat and hung it up. Staring back at her from the hall mirror was a tired but happy face. The day had turned out better than she had dared hope.

  She could hear voices in the kitchen, and if she wasn’t mistaken an undercurrent of Taylor Swift. It sounded like there was laughter too and light-hearted banter. Eden wondered if Casey had friends round. No doubt every one of them had been on their phones, Snapchatting and sending pictures and texts to keep each other informed of the gossip.

  She opened the door to see Casey sitting at the breakfast bar. Behind her the table was set for three people. Joe was wearing an apron and taking a chicken out of the oven.

  ‘I think you should leave it for another half an hour. Mum always likes a crispy skin and—’

  ‘Mum would eat anything right now,’ said Eden. ‘I’m starving.’

  Casey jumped down from her stool and ran into her arms. ‘Joe was cooking dinner. I was helping, but he seems to have most of it under control.’

  ‘I can see.’ Eden hugged her back.

  Joe came over too. He hugged her and then kissed her gently, then a little more. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close.

  ‘Mum, don’t be so embarrassing!’ Casey made vomiting actions. ‘Get a room, why don’t you?’

  Eden and Joe smiled at each other and all at once guilt overwhelmed her for sending the message to Danny. Maybe she needed to try harder to make this relationship work. She had her demons, and she couldn’t move on from them yet, but maybe Joe could be good for her. And it seemed that Casey was trying to get on with him. That could be a one-off, after the shock of what had happened to Jess, but at least she was willing to be in the same room as him without storming out.

  Eden pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. Right now, all she wanted was a cup of tea and a chicken dinner with the people that she loved.

  Chapter Seventy-Seven

  Six weeks later

  THREE CONVICTED FOR MURDER OF DEANNA BARKER – Ryan Copestake, Stockleigh News.

  One teenager was convicted of murder and two more were convicted of manslaughter over the death of Deanna Barker, sixteen, on 14 April 2015. Sentencing Nathan Lucas, eighteen, to eleven years and twin brothers Thomas and Craig Cartwright, also eighteen, to six years each, Judge Kerrigan said that he had never witnessed such a brutal attack on a helpless girl in his time and hoped never to again.

  Kathryn Trent, also sixteen, was acquitted of both murder and manslaughter charges. The judge said it was a difficult case to prove but with only circumstantial evidence, he had come to the decision that she had been trying to help Deanna and had nothing to do with her death.

  To continue reading, click here

  It was 8.30 a.m. on the morning after the trial had finished. Eden had called at Laura’s house to grab a coffee before starting her shift. The last few weeks had taken their toll on everyone, but it was all over now. They could get on with their lives as before. Okay, not exactly as before, because nothing was ever going to be the same again, but looking forward to a new future. A different way for them all.

  ‘Is it really over, Eden?’ Laura asked, as she sat down next to her on the sofa and handed her a mug.

  ‘For us, yes. For some, it will never be over. Today is just the beginning. How’s Jess been this week?’

  ‘Better.’

  Since the kidnap, Jess had spent more time at home than out with her friends. She’d been clingy at first but had now taken to her room most nights. Cayden was still around, but they didn’t seem to be as much of an item as before. Eden reckoned the relationship would run its course now. She hoped it would peter out sooner rather than later. He wasn’t the right person for her niece.

  ‘And Jason?’ Laura asked.

  Jason Proctor had been placed on remand for kidnap and assault.

  ‘He’ll get the treatment he needs,’ Eden replied.

  ‘In prison?’ Laura scoffed. ‘How is that in anyone’s favour? He was grieving the loss of his wife and daughter. If it were up to me, I would have let him go and got him some help.’

  ‘Are you forgetting what he did to you and Jess?’

  ‘Of course not, but. . .’

  ‘He held your daughter hostage for nearly two days.’

  ‘And that means that I shouldn’t have sympathy for him? He was a parent, trying to do the best for his daughter, on his own – just like you and me. We can’t always get everything right.’ Laura looked away, tears in her eyes. ‘And – and. . .’

  ‘What is it?’ Eden pressed.

  Laura looked ahead for a moment and then back to her sister. ‘It was my fault that Ashleigh died.’

  ‘Why, because you couldn’t talk her out of taking her own life?’ Eden shook her head. ‘That’s not how it works.’

  ‘You remember the night that Deanna was murdered? My phone went wild with text messages coming in from Jess. I took my eye off the ball. I think Ashleigh might have been reaching out to me, and I should have been listening. But instead, I was wondering if my own daughter was okay.’

  ‘It doesn’t mean that you had anything to do with Ashleigh’s death.’

  ‘I’d been sending messages to Jess. She was ill, and I was keeping an eye on her. She was upset about something that had happened at school, but she wouldn’t tell me what. But then messages kept coming in from my friends, as well as Jess, about Deanna. That could have been the night Ashleigh decided to take her own life.’

  ‘You’re being too hard on yourself.’ Eden tried to reassure her.

  ‘I’m not. I failed Ashleigh because I wasn’t there to listen.’

  ‘You wouldn’t have stopped the crisis. Ashleigh was a vulnerable child, and she was hell-bent on destroying herself. Maybe there was no way that talking to her would have got through to her, but you did try. You didn’t fail her.’

  The room went quiet.

  ‘I’ve thought about resigning from my job.’ Laura spoke quietly.

  ‘But that’s ridiculous!’

  ‘I can’t have that sort of thing on my conscience. And maybe I should be home more for Jess. I’d have to get something more solid around the daytime. Everyone else I know works nine to five.’

  ‘Except me.’ Eden smiled. ‘Look, don’t do anything rash. You love your job. You’ve helped a lot of teenager
s in crisis – their parents too.’ She finished her drink and placed the mug on the coffee table. ‘I’m getting far too comfy on this settee. I’ll just nip to the loo before I go.’

  Hoping to catch Jess before she went, Eden slipped upstairs. The bedroom door was ajar so she knocked to get her attention.

  ‘I just thought I’d see how you were doing.’ She went into the room and sat down on the bed.

  ‘I’m okay.’ Jess smiled. ‘It’s great to have Katie back. I can’t wait to see her later.’

  ‘There’s something I want to say to you first.’ She patted the bed. ‘Sit down a minute.’

  Jess frowned but sat down next to her.

  ‘When we interviewed Jason Proctor, he told us about some photos that had been shared online without Ashleigh’s consent,’ said Eden. ‘Your mum told us a bit more about them, that they were of Ashleigh in her underwear. So I started doing some checking up. It seems when her phone was stolen, the images were shared.’

  Jess blushed in an instant.

  ‘We traced the information back to your Facebook account.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’ Tears welled in her eyes. ‘I was just angry.’

  ‘Well, that explains everything.’ Eden shook her head. ‘You were just angry.’

  ‘And jealous,’ she admitted. ‘Cayden was spending a lot of time looking at the photos and showing them around, and I didn’t like it.’

  ‘And in that split second, you caused someone a lot of hurt and anger. Ashleigh felt ugly in her underwear so it was a double whammy for her,’ Eden explained.

  ‘I didn’t mean to do any harm.’

  ‘And attacking Jason Proctor?’

  ‘I was scared. Anyone would have done the same.’

  ‘I’m not so sure.’

  ‘You would. I know you would. Mum says I have your daring streak.’

  Eden tried to roll her eyes. Trust Laura to say that. But now was not the time to joke.

  ‘I’m sorry about your hand,’ said Jess.

  Eden rubbed a finger over the remains of the wound. It had healed nicely and would fade in time.

  ‘I think maybe you need to find some new friends.’ Eden reached for Jess’s hand. ‘I don’t think that Cayden is a particularly nice person if he can laugh at someone who clearly had mental health issues. And was it your idea or his to get involved in thieving the phones?’

  Jess looked at the carpet for a moment.

  ‘You made a lot of money out of other people’s misfortunes. We don’t have evidence to charge you, nor any of the others. But it stops right now. Okay?’

  Jess nodded. It seemed sullen, but it wasn’t. Eden knew it was more of an ‘okay, I know I messed up’ nod.

  ‘You’re young enough to move on and forget this,’ she added. ‘Just like Katie will be able to put everything behind her eventually. Use this opportunity to knuckle down for the rest of the months you have left at school and do something with yourself. Do you still want to go into interior design?’

  Jess nodded. ‘I’d like to.’

  ‘So you’ll need to go to college first to learn the basics. You want a clean record for anything like that. Let that be your goal.’

  Jess gave half a smile. ‘You won’t tell Mum what I did, will you?’

  ‘No, but I think you ought to.’

  ‘I can’t.’ She gasped.

  Eden raised her eyebrows before standing up. She rejoined Laura in the living room and was saying goodbye when Jess came in.

  Laura beckoned her to sit down next to her. She put an arm round her daughter and drew her in close. ‘I’m glad everything is resolved.’

  ‘Me too,’ Jess replied. ‘And I’m so pleased Katie got off.’

  ‘She didn’t get off,’ said Eden. ‘She wasn’t involved in Deanna’s murder.’

  ‘I know, but—’

  ‘You mustn’t forget the innocent people in this,’ added Laura. ‘Deanna didn’t deserve to be killed. You have your whole life ahead of you. Deanna doesn’t have that – neither do her family. So whatever happens from now, remember that. Do your best, and you can’t go wrong.’

  Jess looked sheepish.

  ‘We all make mistakes,’ Eden added. ‘It’s how we learn from them and move on that makes us who we are.’

  ‘Well, I won’t go far wrong with you two as my role models, will I?’

  The remark brought tears to Eden’s eyes.

  Laura hugged Jess, but she pulled away.

  ‘Mum,’ she said. ‘There’s something I have to tell you.’

  Eden left them to it. She didn’t need to be here to share this. Laura was going to be angry with Jess, but at least she was going to come clean.

  Eden had been surprised about the photos – especially when she had found out it had been the reason that Jess and Casey had fallen out. Casey had thought it was wrong and had told Jess. Jess had defended herself and they’d had an argument.

  To Eden, from what she had seen of him, Cayden had come across as a bully. She’d known something like this would most probably tear the two teenagers apart in time. And they were only sixteen – they didn’t know about real love and heartache. At sixteen, all Eden had been interested in was getting a date and keeping a boyfriend longer than two weeks.

  She let herself out and headed off towards the Hopwood Estate. She had an appointment to take a statement from a woman who had been seriously assaulted.

  Some things never changed.

  Acknowledgments

  My books might have my name on the cover but there is an awful lot of teamwork happening in the background to make it happen. Thanks to my super agent Maddy Milburn, and my super editor Keshini Naidoo, two talented women I have the pleasure of working with. Thanks to everyone at Bookouture, Oliver, Kim, Kate, Natalie, Hannah and the rest of the gang.

  Thanks to Alison Niebieszczanski, Caroline Mitchell, Angela Marsons, Talli Roland and Cally Taylor for writer chats – a support group second to none. Thanks to all the bloggers and reviewers who give up their time to help me. I can’t mention every one by name as there are far too many and I would be afraid to miss one out. But each and every minute you spend reading my books and spreading the word about them means so much more than I can ever put in to words. Thanks also to Helen and Max for their research around Youth Offending Institutions and also to anyone who has helped with police procedural questions.

  Thanks also must go to a certain group of cockblankets who make me smile every day, and also give me genuine support amongst the tears of laughter.

  Finally, thanks to Chris. Behind every writer is a long suffering partner-in-crime, and he truly is a star. Thanks for being on the journey with me, fella.

  Also by Mel Sherratt

  Marcie Steele books

  Stirred With Love

  The Little Market Stall of Hope and Heartbreak

  The Second Chance Shoe Shop

  Mel Sherratt books

  Somewhere to Hide

  Behind a Closed Door

  Fighting for Survival

  Written in the Scars

  Taunting the Dead

  Follow the Leader

  Only the Brave

  Watching over You

  A Letter From Mel

  First of all, I want to say a huge thank you for choosing to read The Girls Next Door. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing about Eden and her team. I had so much fun creating a Dr Martin-wearing, scooter-driving Detective Sergeant and I hope you enjoyed spending time with her as much as I did.

  If you did enjoy The Girls Next Door, I would be forever grateful if you’d write a review. I’d love to hear what you think, and it can also help other readers discover one of my books for the first time. Or maybe you can recommend it to your friends and family…

  Many thanks to anyone who has emailed me, messaged me, chatted to me on Facebook or Twitter and told me how much they have enjoyed reading my books. I’ve been genuinely blown away with all kinds of niceness and support from you all. A writer’s job is often a
lonely one but I feel I truly have friends everywhere.

  You can sign up to receive an email whenever I have a new book out here:

  http://www.bookouture.com/mel-sherratt/

  Keep in touch!

  @writermels

  MelSherrattauthor

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  Published by Bookouture

  An imprint of StoryFire Ltd.

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  Copyright © Mel Sherratt 2016

  Mel Sherratt has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN: 978-1-78681-090-8